Just Gutted and Skinned my first deer...

Exactomundo!! People don't realise the time and effort it takes in gutting, cleaning and skinning the animal! As others have said, the last thing you
want to do, is rupture the stomach or intestines, as it reeks to High Heaven.

silo13 is right, and many people can't grasp that as 'conservation'. It really is. In South Africa, we pay to hunt these animals. In return we get
awesome meat, the farmer gets funds to keep the show on the road, and maintain a healthy population.

Yes, there are Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyena and other predators. However, in some areas there are not. So to keep a balance, we pay to hunt and
everyone 'wins'. My only gripe is that there are people who don't know a damn thing about hunting, but are allowed to do so as they have the
money.

They often wound the animals, and then have to track them down for hours! That is a shame

Hey silo13, I can so connect with you regarding cutting up fresh liver at the campfire and eating it! There is nothing better than eating fresh
product straight from the hunting camps.

In SA, we used to chop up the liver, kidneys and heart, and stuff that into the cleaned intestines with chopped Onion. We'd grill it over the fire,
and munch on that for dinner, and wash it down with Rum & Coke! Ahhhh, the good days...

We called that a "pofadder", which refers to a Puff adder snake, because that is what it looked like once cooked

Respect to all the hunters here, I don't hunt but I do eat meat and I find it dishonorable to do so (That is, I dislike that I eat animals who were
slaughtered under cruel and torturous conditions, rather than taking their life with respect and reverence, as a good hunter). I read the whole
thread, and some of Jay-in-AR's comments prompted me to look up a video about live hanging, very unsettling. Of course I knew, even previously, that
these atrocities were happening, and yet I still choose to eat the pain meat. I will pray for guidance.

Troy: Nothing beats a stroll in cattle country. Hi, I'm Troy McClure.
You may remember me from such educational films as "Two Minus
Three Equals Negative Fun" and "Firecrackers: The Silent Killer".
Jimmy: Mr. McClure?
Troy: Oh! Hello Bobby.
Jimmy: Jimmy. I'm curious as to how meat gets from the ranch to my
stomach.
Troy: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down Jimmy. You just asked a mouthful.
It all starts here, in the high density feed lot. Then, when the
cattle are just right [swipes his finger along the top of a cow
and licks it] Yum...it's time for them to graduate from Bovine
University.

A klaxon blares out a siren and the cattle begin moving up a conveyor
belt into the meat packing plant.

Troy: Come on Jimmy, let's take a peek at the killing floor.
Jimmy: Ohhh!
Troy: Don't let the name throw you Jimmy. It's not really a floor,
it's more of a steel grating that allows material to sluice
through so it can be collected and exported.

They walk throught the door of the plant accompanied by the sounds of
moo-ing and startled cows. Electricity noise sparks in the background
as the camera pans down the length of the factory to a truck marked
"Meat For You" being loaded with raw chunks of meat. Troy and Jimmy
emerge, with Jimmy visibly pale and queasy.

Troy: Gettin hungry Jimmy?
Jimmy: Uhh, Mr. McClure? I have a crazy friend who says its wrong
to eat meat. Is he crazy?
Troy: Nooo, just ignorant. You see your crazy friend never heard
of "The Food Chain". [Flash to a picture of "Food Chain",
with all animals and arrows pointing to a silhouette of a
human.] Just ask this scientician.
Scientician: [Looking up from a microscope.] Uhhh...
Troy: He'll tell you that, in nature, one creature invariably
eats another creature to survive.
[Images of various wild carnivores attacking and eating
others appear.]
Don't kid yourself Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance,
he'd eat you and everyone you care about! [Image of a cow
quietly chewing cud.]
Jimmy: Wow, Mr. McClure. I was a grade A moron to ever question
eating meat.
Troy: [Laughs.] Yes you were Jimmy, yes you were. [Briskly rubs
his hand on Jimmy's head.]
Jimmy: [Timid] Uhh...you're hurting me.

You don't win friends with salad!

Peace be among all my friends and brethren, animal and human, all one, alone.

I have to say this...my husband hunts and so have my children. Wild game has fed us and others we know many times and we have been thankful to have
it. For those of us that live in the country, deer hunting is a way of life, and if not for it, the population of the herds would be terrible. Deer
cause alot of traffic accidents, they destroy crops, I could go on. Hunters help control the size of these herds. We do NOT believe in killing just to
take antlers or anything like that, we put meat in the freezer for hard times and I say kudo's to all hunters everywhere! There were six deer bedded
down in our yard last night...we love them. We hunt out of need only.

Originally posted by Greenize
I have to say this...my husband hunts and so have my children. Wild game has fed us and others we know many times and we have been thankful to have
it. For those of us that live in the country, deer hunting is a way of life, and if not for it, the population of the herds would be terrible. Deer
cause alot of traffic accidents, they destroy crops, I could go on. Hunters help control the size of these herds. We do NOT believe in killing just to
take antlers or anything like that, we put meat in the freezer for hard times and I say kudo's to all hunters everywhere! There were six deer bedded
down in our yard last night...we love them. We hunt out of need only.

Indeed, Everymorning I have a cup of hot green tea on the porch and watch as the deer run though the yard, eating and romping. It's great to watch
nature up close. I'm not just about killing them all. You put it very well, in the country, it's a way of life. It's food and respected more
than city people respect their hamburgers from the choke & puke places.

Most people don't understand how much real hunters love and appreciate nature, and as you said, it's not about killing them all. I used to live in
Johannesburg, so I was a city kid, but my grandfather was a big game hunter in Africa. He shot elephant, buffalo, lion & leopard (don't know why he
did these last 2 - obviously for trophies), out of the big5.

I don't know what else he didn't shoot, but whenever he went hunting he'd come back with a ton of meat. He'd often leave meat for the African
guides to help feed them and their families - so the whole concept of hunting, if done right, helps communities and does good.

I got the bug from him, and even though he passed away in 1986, my interest was pricked, and so I did my first hunt in 1992 - with a school teacher
who was my target shooting coach (imagine telling someone that in Canada? - "School teacher" - they'd probably freak out!).

Never had to buy any rifles, as my granddad had so many rifles, I just got my grandma to write a letter releasing it into my possession for that
period of time, and I was on my way!

Seeing that you love nature so much, you might enjoy this website: www.sanparks.org... This is the Kruger National Park in South
Africa. Not sure if you have heard of it, but check it out, instead of me rambling. I was there last in January 2007, and I miss it so much!

Can't wait to go back, smell the campfire at night, look at the stars and hear the nocturnal animals and others making their noises.....Ahhhhh how I
miss it. ...I'll try find and upload some photos later that I took back then, and post links here

iI moved up from the upper midwest and I have a real yearning for some walleye, perch or bluegills..As much as I like moose and salmon, a steady diet
of it gets old...Didn't get a caribou and didn't get out to catch any halibut or lingcod..Applied for a bison permit, didn't get lucky..I do get a
deal on yak meat.. As soon as it warms up I'm doing some ice fishing for arctic char,,It's been -50 ,not good fishing weather..

Hope I don't get a point deficit for this....but, golly, I do enjoy the weekly shopping-cart round-up! I mean, it can be fierce!!!

The stakes begin high, as the battle for a cart without wobbly wheels begins!!!

After that first hurdle, well....the thrill is on!! Up and down the aisles, never knowing when your opponent will take you out at the intersection,
or if they will simply empty the shelves before you arrive to catch your bounty, the Grocery Wars are on!!!!!

Finally, after vanquishing our foes, we are left to choose the best exit strategy....(this is usually the shortest line, combined with the fastest
check-out person). ALAS!! We sometomes are thwarted by the 'check-writer'....the one who lives in the past, and cannot acknowledge the present,
where 'check-cards' and 'credit-cards' now reign.....Oh! The Humanity!!!!!

Unfortunately for our purposes, discharching a gun inside a grocery store will likely lead to criminal charges....UNLESS you have a permit, for the
gun, and a 'hunting' permit for the venue....

Since it is (A) likely to have a valid gun permit, that one can be tossed. But, (B), discharging the weapon in the grocery store (even if you want
to) is not likely to be defensible.

So, we must 'fall-back' on our best human tactics --- those our observation and planning, in order to find the shortest and fastest check-out line,
in order to escape the Grocery Store with our Bounty, and navigate the deep, dark and treacherous 'parking lot'.....

Taking care of the game begins the second it hits the ground. Field dress your large game asap. This removes the internal organs and begins the
cooling process. The sooner you can cool the carcass down, the better the meat will taste. Leaving the organs intact for very long causes spoilage and
can lead to the meat having a very "gamey" taste.

When next you skin a deer, please do not forget to harvest the inside loins. The reside along the backbone just below the pelvis. They are not big,
but are the most tender and the sweetest.

Remember to always take care when removing the bladder and the anus/colon. waste WILL taint your meat.

Always avoid cutting on the hair side of the hide as this will cause hair to get all over your meat.

Don't disregard the neck either. It is a mass of muscle and can be stewed for a great roast.

I have lost count of how many deer I have taken. It is a special moment each and every time. The descision to take an animal is always in the
hunter's hands. I have let way more deer walk away than I have ever taken.

My family relies on me to suppliment our diet with wild game and fish. We are not poor, but we can't afford to eat out or purchase meat for every
meal. Wild game saves me thousands of dollars per year. Yes, hunting can be expensive initially, but over time that investment pays much larger
dividends.

Sport hunting is not my style. I hunt for the meat and I hunt to help maintain the balance of wildlife in my area. Urban sprawl and ever increasing
demand on natural areas severely impact the land's carrying capacity. If you think shooting a deer is bad, try witnessing a whole herd starve to
death or die off from one of the many diseases that propogate during periods of overpopulation.

Final thoughts:

Keep your skinning knife razor sharp. Use a small knife (blade less that 4") and use short cutting strokes. Quarter the deer, seperate the ribs from
the backbone and sever the neck at the edge of the ribline and just behind the skull. You should only discard the legs below the hock and knee and the
backbone. A gutpile in the woods will not last more than 24 hours before it is scavenged by a myriad of creatures.

Read up on how to process the hide. You can make or have made all kinds of garments.

Remember, taking game is far more than any thrill, it is a Rite of Passage and something that should always be looked upon with reverence and respect.

Thanks for your great input! I have just begun hunting and have to say that a good second hand firearm (sorry, from the military- that's what WE
call it

) can be found for good prices, get yourself a box or two of ammo and dial it in, make a blind and you don't have to worry about a
highcost way to get fresh meat in your fridge.

The blades are CREUTIAL in skinning and gutting. I found a nice old blade that's tip flares up at the end and was great for skinning (didn't use
for gutting cos the point might have ruptured stomach).

I love old knives or cheap ones especially if you are new to sharpening cos you can really mess up the edge and not loose sleep. Just get another
one. I know quite a few expert hunters and I don't think a one of them use a Buck or anything like that.

Cheap knives are not a good idea. They can get dull at the wrong time and all of a sudden your blood is mixed in with the animal your gutting or
skinning. I use a Ka-bar for all my kills that require a knife. Hell, i use it for everything

As far as skinning goes, if you skin your animals when they are still warm then all you have to do is make your leg, neck, and belly cuts. You will be
able to just pull the skin off if you have it secured.

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